Robbinsville cop arrested in bizarre attack has brain condition

The Robbinsville police officer arrested after assaulting a woman and her four-year-old son inside their home has had his bail reduced after being diagnosed with a neurological disorder.

Casey Deblasio, the spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office, said in an email that Sergeant Mark Lee, the 44-year-old 18-year veteran of the township’s police force, has been diangosed with a neurological disorder which involves calcium deposits on the brain.

Mercer County Judge Pedro Jimenez reduced his bail from $250,000 to $10,000 after the court-ordered evaluation at Anna Klein Forensic Center.

Lee is prohibited from returning to Robbinsville Township and Project Freedom, the development where he was arrested. According to DeBlasio, Lee will continue to undergo treatment.

Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried said the case, which was being handled by the county prosecutor’s office, was difficult to deal with.

“It’s just a tragedy for everyone involved,” he said. “It’s horrible for the victims and obviously a tragic outcome for the Lee family as well.”

On Sept. 17, Lee entered a home in Project Freedom, which was built to enable disabled people to live independently, removed his clothes, and assaulted a 45-year-old woman and her 4-year-old son, according to police and witness accounts.

After officers took Lee into custody, he briefly escaped when he kicked out the side rear window of a patrol car and jumped out. He was arrested after a chase and a struggle with fellow officers.

He was charged with official misconduct, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of endangering the welfare of a child, five counts of aggravated assault upon a police officer, and one count each of burglary, harassment and criminal mischief.

To avoid potential conflicts of interest, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office is handling the case.

According to the National Institutes of Health, calcium deposits can be a symptom for several different neurological conditions, including Celiac disease, Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome and familial idiopathic basal ganglia calcification.